


Kaleidoscope

by SkyTurtle



Series: Flowey and Papyrus [2]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, Houseplant Flowey, Nightmares, Papyrus Knows More Than He Lets On, Past Violence, Post-Undertale Pacifist Route
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-09
Updated: 2016-10-09
Packaged: 2018-08-20 08:29:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,689
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8242897
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SkyTurtle/pseuds/SkyTurtle
Summary: Well, this is an interesting discovery. Flowey didn't know that Papyrus had nightmares.





	

Something woke Flowey up. He groggily pulled his petals away from his face so he could look for whatever had disturbed him, then groaned when he saw where he was.

For the past several months he had been living on the surface with Frisk and Toriel, much to his own annoyance. Most nights he slept in Frisk's room, but whenever Toriel was called out of country on diplomatic business the child went with her. Flowey wasn't trusted to be involved with their sensitive negotiations, so they always found him a babysitter, usually one of the skeleton brothers. 

Being constantly supervised like a child was humiliating enough, but now he also had to waste his time with the overactive idiot and the garbage bag. It was almost impossible to sleep in their house. Papyrus was always so eager to entertain his “new friend” that convincing him to just go to sleep was an hour long project. And being anywhere near Sans usually made Flowey feel somewhat paranoid.

He didn't need a bed to sleep so on this particular night Flowey had been very carefully placed on Papyrus' bedside table for lights out. He found the alarm clock and saw that it was almost three in the morning. For once it was actually quiet in the house. 

So what had woken him up?

Flowey squinted into the shadows. At first glace there didn't seem to be anything out of place but he had learned in the past that Sans had a talent for going unseen, so it wasn't unreasonable to think that the smiley garbage bag had snuck in to spy on him. Papyrus slept with a nightlight so it wasn't as dark as it could be, but he inspected the dim shapes carefully just in case. 

Nothing there. If Sans had decided to spy on him tonight he was being a bit more subtle than that. Besides, if he had really wanted to go unnoticed Sans wouldn't have made any noise to wake him in the first place. Flowey tried to relax, close his petals and sleep again but something about the silence still seemed off. Something in the air felt wrong and he couldn't stop himself from wondering what he had missed.

A high pitched squeaking sound came from the bed next to him, startling him almost out of his pot. 

The sound came again, but this time it was obvious that the noise came from Papyrus. He was still asleep, but he seemed restless now that Flowey was paying attention to him. 

“NYHH... ST... NOO...” He was almost forming words in his sleep now. Was he having a nightmare?

That was interesting. Did Papyrus often have nightmares or was this rare? What was he dreaming about? Flowey hoped it didn't turn out to be something boring like demons or ghouls chasing after him. Should he wake him up? Flowey was very curious to know more, but if he woke Papyrus up he might instantly forget what he was dreaming about. He also wanted to get back to sleep himself and that hardly seemed possible with a whining skeleton so close to him. 

Pap turned in his sleep, his fingers gripping the sheets. “I DON...” 

There was always the possibility that he would forget whatever he was dreaming about no matter what he did, but Flowey doubted it when he considered how intense the dream must be to have him thrashing like this.

“NNNH... WHY...” He was sweating now. Flowey had no idea how it was possible for a skeleton to sweat but he'd seen it happen enough times in past resets to not question it too much anymore.

He wondered if Papyrus' nightmare would fade away or if he would wake up first. He might even start dreaming of happier things if he managed to get through the nightmare still asleep. And if he did wake up first, would he scream? Would he cry? Would he shiver? Would he go to Sans for comfort? Would he be his usual happy self? Would he pretend to be his usual happy self but not quite be able to hide the tremble in his voice?

“PLEA...”

If Papyrus woke with a scream would Sans come running? If he cried would he do so freely or would he try to hide his tears? If he shook would he blame it on the cold? If he went to his brother what would Sans do to console him? If he was still happy would he even acknowledge that the nightmare had happened? Exactly how much effort would it take to turn the trembles in his voice into sobs or even screams? He so wished he still had the power to reset. If he did he could explore every possibility until he was bored. Or maybe not, given how close Sans was.

Screw it.

Flowey sprouted a vine from his pot and used it to shake Papyrus awake. “Hey. Idiot. Wake up, you're bothering me.”

He slowly came back to consciousness and looked around himself. He seemed to be relaxing at last until he caught sight of Flowey. He gasped loudly and pulled himself away from the flower, backing himself into the wall with enough force that me may have left a dent. 

He looked like he could see death coming for him. It had been a long time since Flowey last saw that expression on his face. He tilted his head curiously at the skeleton. “Good morning to you too. What on earth have you been dreaming about?”

Papyrus shook his head, clearing the lingering nightmares away. “FLOWEY? THAT'S YOU, RIGHT?”

“Of course it's me, dipstick.”

“OH, WELL THEN...” Pap looked everywhere but at him. “I, UH... NEED TO GO SOMEWHERE!” He forced a cheerful grin before hopping off the bed and out the door.

Well, that answered the question of what Papyrus was dreaming about. Flowey couldn't say that he was surprised that he was the subject of someones nightmares. Although that brought up even more questions. If anyone asked him Flowey wouldn't deny that he had tormented, abused and even killed the skeleton in various ways on many occasions during past time-lines. He wasn't going to pretend to be innocent so long as Frisk was around. But that had all been in different time-lines. Technically speaking, now that they reset, those things never even happened.

So what did he do in this time-line that gave Papyrus nightmares? Nothing immediately came to mind. Yes, Flowey verbally abused everyone he came in contact with but it never seemed to have any effect on Pap. Most of the time he just said that Flowey was “an emotional cactus” and that all his insults were just a defense for his “lovable gooey center”. He let Pap believe that because it was easier than arguing.

He might just be more sensitive to words than originally thought. Flowey refused to censor his thoughts or his mouth for the comfort of anyone else, so if Papyrus really was that sensitive then he might just have to give the job of flower-sitter to someone else. His sharp tongue was one of the last things he had that nobody tried to take from him and he wasn't going to give up that bit of freedom just because he hurt the poor skeletons feelings.

Papyrus came back into the room only a minutes after leaving, now looking significantly calmer. “FRET NOT, MY PETALED FRIEND, THE GREAT PAPYRUS HAS RETURNED.”

“Good for you.”

He hopped back into bed. “WERE YOU HAVING TROUBLE SLEEPING TOO?”

“I was sleeping fine. Then you started having a fit and woke me up. This happen a lot?” 

“UNDYNE SAYS THAT I KEEP HER AWAKE, BUT THAT'S JUST BECAUSE WE HAVE SO MUCH FUN TOGETHER!”

“No, I mean the nightmares.”

“DREAMLAND HOLDS MANY MYSTERIES THAT ARE BOTH FASCINATING AND TERRIFYING. BUT THAT'S WHY I SOLVE PUZZLES! TO KEEP MY MIND SHARP AND PREPARED FOR NOCTURNAL DANGERS!” Flowey wondered if Papyrus realized how ridiculous he looked tucking himself back into bed in his footie pajamas. 

“So is that a yes?”

“THEY COME AND GO. THAT ONE WAS PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS. THEY'VE BEEN HAPPENING MORE OFTEN IN RECENT MONTHS.”

Flowey started spending time on the surface only four months ago, so he felt safe in assuming that he was the cause. “What are they about?”

Papyrus practically glowed with happiness. “YOU'RE CONCERNED FOR ME? YOU MUST BE! BUT DO NOT FEAR! DREAMS, THOUGH VIVID, ARE COMPLETELY IMAGINARY! NOTHING IN THEM COULD EVER TRULY HURT ME!”

“I know that they can't hurt you! I'm not asking because I'm worried about you, I'm asking because I want to know.”

“YOUR FAITH IN MY ABILITIES IS GREATLY APPRECIATED!”

“Would you just tell me already!” He sprouted a vine again and threw a nearby action figure at Pap, who managed to catch it before it hit his face. If anything made Flowey tired it was trying to lead a conversation with Papyrus.

“WELL, IT CHANGES. IT'S NOT ALWAYS THE SAME.” He fidgeted with the action figure. 

“Just tell me about your dream tonight then.” 

Papyrus was quiet for a moment as he moved the figures arms back and forth. “WELL... IT'S A BIT HARD TO REMEMBER. I GET THESE DREAMS SO OFTEN I THINK I'VE STARTED HAVING DREAMS WHILE I'M ALREADY DREAMING. MY DREAM SELF HAS HIS OWN DREAMS THAT HE REMEMBERS. HAVE YOU EVER LOOKED THROUGH A KALEIDOSCOPE?”

“Yeah. The playground at Frisk's school has one. What does that have to do with anything?”

“MY DREAMS ARE LIKE THAT! IT'S ALL THE SAME THING BUT IT REPEATS OVER AND OVER. EACH PART IS SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT, BUT IT ALL HAS A MIRRORING PATTERN.”

“I... Guess that sounds familiar.” Uncomfortably familiar. 

“SO, IN THIS DREAM MY DREAM SELF WAS ALREADY NERVOUS FOR SOME REASON AND TRYING TO REMEMBER HIS OWN DREAMS AND THIS CUTE YELLOW FLOWER SHOWS UP. HE ACTUALLY LOOKS A LOT LIKE YOU.”

Papyrus paused, like he was hesitant. His chipper expression faltering for the first time since he returned. “Yeah, go on.”

“SO... THIS FLOWER SHOWS UP AND HE AND DREAM PAPYRUS TALK. I CAN NEVER QUITE MAKE OUT WHAT WE'RE SAYING THOUGH. MAYBE WE'RE NOT ACTUALLY SAYING ANYTHING...” He squirmed slightly as he tried to figure out how to continue. “SOMETHING THE FLOWER SAYS MAKES DREAM ME WORRY. WORRY QUITE A LOT IN FACT. THEN, I DON'T KNOW WHY, THE FLOWER SHOOTS OUT VINES AND GRABS ME. HE SAYS SOMETHING ELSE TO ME AND THEN HE...” 

Papyrus took in a deep breath, trying to calm himself. “HE STARTS... PULLING AT MY RIBS UNTIL THEY...”

“I think I get the idea.” Flowey's head swam with this new information. He knew exactly what Pap was talking about. He had lived through precisely that event a hundred resets ago, except Flowey hadn't been the one getting ribs torn from his body.

Papyrus remembered? For how long? He knew that Sans had some type of memory from past time-lines, but until now Papyrus never showed signs of having the same ability. Sans first showed that he remembered something after only five resets, has Pap known for just as long?

He tried to recall every time he had ever killed Papyrus. He lost count eventually but it must have been it at least five dozen times. Papyrus may have been an idiot, but if he had a dream about a yellow flower killing him and then a very similar yellow flower suddenly showed up in his life he would know that it wasn't coincidence. How much did he know?

“Do you have a lot of dreams about this yellow flower?”

“MOST OF MY NIGHTMARES INVOLVE HIM SOMEHOW, BUT NOT ALWAYS.”

Flowey struggled to pretend that he was uninterested while asking so many questions. “In these nightmares of yours, do you realize what the flower is going to do to you before it happens?”

Papyrus rubbed his forehead. “IT'S HARD TO SAY, DREAMS RARELY MAKE SENSE... I THINK I DO? I MEAN, I DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHAT HE'S ABOUT TO DO BUT I REALIZE THAT HE MIGHT NOT MEAN WELL.”

That didn't make any sense. In all the time-lines Papyrus had never once attacked him. Only a few times did he ever try to defend himself and that was only because Flowey gave him the chance to do so after already attacking. If anything, Papyrus put up less of a fight in later time-lines. “If you know that he's going to kill you then why the hell did you stick around and chat with him?”

Pap seemed slightly taken aback by this but there was no uncertainty in his voice. “BECAUSE I DIDN'T KNOW THAT, FLOWEY. I MIGHT HAVE SEEN IT AS A STRONG POSSIBILITY, BUT I KNEW THAT THERE WAS ALSO A POSSIBILITY HE MIGHT NOT. I BELIEVED THAT HE COULD DO BETTER IF I GAVE HIM THE OPPORTUNITY.”

He was dumbstruck. Was that really what Papyrus was thinking every time he was killed? Every single time Pap met him “for the first time” he had the memories of previous murders rattling in his skull and he was still happy to see him? That couldn't possibly be right. Whenever they met Flowey was always greeted with the same cheerful grin, the same positive attitude and sunny outlook on life. 

It was insane to think that Papyrus could remember the agonizing tortures he had been put through and still meet Flowey with a smile later. But the proof was right in front of him. Papyrus just described his own death from another time-line and here he was, sitting next to his own serial murderer like it was perfectly natural. Just a short while ago he had even been asleep in the same room. 

Flowey thought that he had seen the worst case of blind forgiveness when Frisk decided to spare his life and invite him into their home. But at least Frisk had the common decency to show fear for their friends. The first few times Flowey was left under the care of the skeletons Frisk worried for their safety. Papyrus never showed any concern whatsoever.

“How can you possibly feel safe sleeping next to me?”

Papyrus puffed out his chest like he always did when he was about to make a speech. “I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, AM ONLY CONCERNED WITH THE FUTURE! DREAMS, MUCH LIKE THE PAST, ONLY MATTER IF YOU'RE WALKING BACKWARDS! WHICH I ONLY DO ON SPECIAL OCCASIONS.”

He frowned. “What are you talking about now?”

“THE PAST IS NOT A PREDICTION OF THE FUTURE! SOMETHING THAT HAPPENED ONCE MAY NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN, SOLUTIONS THAT HAVE ALWAYS WORKED BEFORE MAY STOP WORKING, AND PAST ACTIONS DON'T PREDICT FUTURE ONES.” He brushed to tops of Flowey's petals the same way he sometime patted Frisk. Flowey wiggled away until Pap stopped touching him. “IN OTHER WORDS; ANYONE CAN CHANGE! ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE, EVEN IF IT'S NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE!”

Anger flared in Flowey's mind. “That's stupid.”

“NYEH?”

“The next thing you're going to tell me is that to change I just have to believe in myself or that the power of friendship will help me or that I just need to try harder or some other girl-scout lie I've heard a hundred times. Some things don't change. Some people can't change. And sometimes belief and friendship don't do a god damn thing to help.”

Papyrus managed to grin wider. “I HAVEN'T BEEN PROVEN WRONG YET!”

Flowey sighed in frustration, slumping back slightly on his stem. It really was impossible to reason with people this eager to ignore the obvious. It was infuriating but arguing would accomplish nothing. “Give it time.” 

He needed some time to think and reevaluate what he knew, especially what this so-called “friendship” meant to Papyrus and why he thought it mattered so much.

“FLOWEY? YOU SEEM TIRED.”

“It's three in the morning. Go back to sleep.”

He gasped. “GOODNESS! IT'S ALMOST TIME TO GET UP! AND I HAVE BEEN KEEPING YOU AWAKE. MY SINCEREST APOLOGIES! I KNOW YOUR BEAUTY SLEEP IS IMPORTANT TO YOU, YOU ALWAYS GET SO CRANKY WITHOUT IT.”

“Pap.”

“YES?”

“Shut up.”

**Author's Note:**

> I love these two so dang much. There will probably be more to this series later, because holy balls I cannot get these two out of my head.
> 
>  
> 
> Comments always appreciated!


End file.
